He That Dies Pays All Debts
by MiriB
Summary: The Light's newest partner goes by the name Red Hood, which just so happens to be the name used by a man from Bart's childhood. Are they one and the same person? Can Bart change the fate of this man who was like family to him? Sequel to 'A Tempest of Ash'.
1. Business As Usual

**Chapter 1 – Business As Usual**

* * *

Things were undeniably going well for the Justice League and the Team. Over six months had passed since they defeated the Reach, and there had been no crises of that scale since. To add to their continued good fortune, only a few weeks had passed since the triumphant return of Wally West, who they all had thought dead. Yes, life in general had certainly been favouring Earth's heroes for quite some time. Unfortunately, it was not to last. The Light and their latest associate were brewing fresh plans, which could greatly affect the status quo of the world if left unchecked.

* * *

Wally watched the footage of the Red Hood that played on the screen before him with grim displeasure. Beside him, his cousin Bart watched on with a similar concerned face. **(1)** Having returned from his impromptu adventure into the future, Wally had made the decision to return to the Team on a part time basis, taking back up the mantle of Kid Flash, with Bart being all too happy to return to the name Impulse. This was to be his first official mission back. The goal: gathering information on the Red Hood. A player they knew virtually nothing about. Except, Wally did know a thing or two, and for that matter, so did Bart. In fact he probably knew more. But they were hiding what they knew.

It had been Wally's idea to keep it a secret. For one thing, they couldn't be sure that the Red Hood Bart had known in his timeline was the same man. For another, Bart had drastically changed the timeline. Granted it had been for the better, but there was no telling what it could have done to the man behind the mask. This mission that they were both being sent on was an opportunity. As they tracked the Red Hood's activities, and hopefully uncovered new intel, they might just find the answers they needed. Maybe then they'd tell the others what they knew.

"As you are all aware, this is the Light's latest partner – the Red Hood," Nightwing began, drawing the attention of the gathered heroes away from the footage, and towards himself and Kaldur. The pair had begun jointly leading the team since Dick was no longer off on a break, secretly searching for Wally.

"Despite our best efforts," he continued, "we are no closer to discovering who he is and what his motives are, or why The Light would take interest in a relatively new player. What we do know is that he is not keeping his base of operations in one location."

"Our intel suggests that he is working out of several major cities across America, and we suspect he may have additional ties across the globe," Kaldur added while Dick brought up a map on the screen, "For this mission, you will be breaking into three squads, and investigating exactly why the Red Hood and The Light have joined forces. This is a covert, reconnaissance mission, where you will only engage the enemy if deemed absolutely necessary. Nightwing, Bumblebee, and Miss Martian will be Alpha squad. You will be investigating a lead in Star City where the Red Hood was last seen. We believe he may be planning something large scale, as this is the first time in months that he has been sighted without any other known associates of The Light accompanying him.

"Artemis, Wonder Girl, and our newly reinstated Kid Flash will be Beta squad, and will be investigating an older operation in Central City. Intel suggests that the Red Hood was working in Central up until his recent move to Star, and that he was primarily dealing with a large quantity of weapons shipments. We cannot be certain exactly what weapons, so tread carefully. We suspect that these weapons are the primary reason that he and the Light are working together. Finally Robin, Impulse, and Blue Beetle are Gamma squad, and will be heading to Gotham City, where the Red Hood's first operation appears to have originated. Although he has not been sighted in the city recently, our intel suggests he still has operatives working on something in the area," Kaldur finished his instructions with a slight nod towards Nightwing.

"Information is the priority of this mission," the blue bird added, "If any of you see the Red Hood out in the field, you are not to engage, and are to call it in to Aqualad immediately. If there are no further questions then it's time to move out."

There was the generic short pause where everyone waited to see if questions arose, but with another nod from Kaldur, the Team began to set out. Wally spared a glance at Bart, and for a moment wondered if they should speak before they left, but decided it would be too overbearing. He was worried about what Bart would do if he ever ran into the Red Hood – he did know a little of the history the name the joker used to use. At the very least, he was glad that Bart was headed to the one place where that was not likely to happen.

* * *

Jason gazed across Gotham City's skyline with anticipation. He'd bided his time working with the vultures that called themselves The Light; using them as much as they'd used him. He knew that weapons of both the rare and common variety would make him an easy target for their business, and it hadn't taken long to work his way up through their ranks. With their trust secured, he could focus on his true mission. He'd started the gears turning in Gotham months ago, and he'd finally found the opportunity to return to them, and go after what he really wanted. If only Bruce knew what was coming for him.

He'd been careful with his identity, not taking up the name Red Hood until after he'd started meeting with The Light. Not even Ra's suspected who was really under the helmet, as far as he, and everyone else knew, Jason Todd was off the board. His operation had acted like a silent tumour, until he'd managed to spread across dozens of cities and gained The Light's attention. He used fear to keep his men under control. He built up a reputation quickly, putting bullets into the heads of those who went against his rules and orders. His insider knowledge of how the heroes went about their business helped too.

But these successes didn't matter to Jason. Neither did the plans The Light were pursuing. What really mattered was that he was counting down the days until justice – real justice – would finally be his. And heaven help any hero or villain that got in his way.

* * *

 **A/N**

Next chapter will be called "This Was A Covert-Op" because we all know what the word covert really means to the Team!

Kinda short first chapter I know, but it just seemed like the right place to cut it off.

Please leave a review and let me know what you think so far :)

 **(1)** Read the Epilogue of _What's Past Is Prologue_ to see this moment from Bart's perspective :D


	2. This Was a Covert-Op

**Chapter 2 – This Was a Covert-Op**

* * *

Even though he knew he shouldn't be, Dick was prepared to have a fight on his hand when he, Miss M, and Bumblebee arrived in Star City. Maybe he should have expected that the one time he was ready for covert to be thrown out the window, it would be the one time it wouldn't happen.

Through the cover of darkness, the three heroes scouted the area they believed the Red Hood was hiding in. There were three warehouses that they suspected, with one being significantly larger than the others. Surely that was where their target was. Silently, they investigated the two smaller buildings, just to be sure.

"This can't be right," M'gann muttered over the mind link, "I'm not picking up any mental signatures coming from the buildings."

Dick's growing feelings of unease multiplied with M'gann's words. The appearance of the smaller buildings didn't help either. On the inside, it was as though they hadn't been used in months.

"We move on," he finally replied, "There must be something in the main building."

"You got it boss," Bumblebee piped up over the link, before flying in the direction of the largest warehouse; Dick and M'gann followed suit, entering through the roof.

It was worse than he'd thought. The whole place was wiped clean. No boxes. No papers. Generic rubbish didn't even litter the ground. All that remained to prove that the Red Hood had even been there was in a small office at the back of the building, and it settled a rock in the bottom of Dick's stomach when he saw the contents of the room.

A fried server sat in one corner, and an equally destroyed computer sat on the desk. But what made Dick's heart stutter was the map of America stuck to the wall. And right there, embedded into the name "Gotham City", was a weathered hunting knife.

"We need to call Aqualad immediately," he spoke aloud as the two other heroes entered the room; a small amount of his panic slipped into his voice, "We were wrong about his next target."

* * *

Wally was thrilled. Despite the importance of their mission, and his worries for Bart, the thrill of the hunt was something he had sorely missed. And having Artemis by his side was just the cherry on top. It was just like the early days. He being a goof ball, her being frustrated and always moments away from punching him in the jaw. Yes this, this was the life.

And those feelings lasted all of 3 seconds once they arrived at their destination: a two storey, inconspicuous building that was a hub of activity. From the shadows of a neighbouring rooftop, the three heroes watched as truck after truck was loaded with crates and boxes, and driven away.

"Are they abandoning this place?" Cassie asked in a hushed tone.

"Looks that way," Artemis replied, "We need to get in there. Now."

They approached their target silently from above, entering through a window on the second floor. They crept along a corridor when Wally heard what sounded suspiciously like liquid being sloshed around and out of a large container. He gestured to the others, and Artemis quickly entered the room the sound was coming from. Several thuds were heard inside before she stuck her head back out and beckoned for Wally and Cassie to enter.

The room was some kind of office, with several filing cabinets, boxes of papers, and computers on tables. There was also a distinct smell of gasoline. Two unconscious bodies were on the floor – apparently they were going to torch the place to get rid of any evidence. Without a word, the trio began combing through the office, looking for any information that connected back to the Red Hood's activities with The Light. Before long, Artemis ended up shaking one of the thugs awake to interrogate him as well. Wally didn't pay much attention to what the thug was saying, choosing to focus on the papers before him, until he heard one word – Gotham.

"What did he say," Wally all but whispered, turning to face his girlfriend, the papers he'd been sorting through still held in his hands.

"I said the Red Hood's in Gotham," the goon squawked, apparently having broken quickly, "he's planning something big, got the rest of us going to ground for a while."

Wally felt a mild panic squeeze his chest, and he was pretty sure the feeling was reflected on his face. Artemis gave him a knowing, concerned look before knocking the man she'd interrogated back out.

"What the hell is he doing in Gotham," Artemis muttered.

"What could he possibly gain there," Cassie added, "that's Batman's territory, it really wouldn't help his weapon's business."

Wally wasn't completely paying attention to their musings. His mind was on Bart. He didn't think it was going to happen, at least not yet. He knew the kid had some sort of grand plan in his head. The he'd find the Red Hood, talk to him, and suddenly the man would stop being a villain. But Wally knew that that would never happen. He thought he'd be able to make Bart see that too before any confrontation.

" _We_ need to get to Gotham," Wally commanded, "Gamma are there, and if what he said is true, they're going to need back up."

With affirmation from his team, they moved out quickly and silently, hoping to avoid any further confrontations with the Red Hood's men. All Wally could think about was getting to Gotham. He just hoped he wasn't too late.

* * *

Bart's whole being thrummed with anticipation. This could be _it_. His chance to right his wrong. The Red Hood he'd known was a hero! And he fully intended to fix whatever had gone wrong in this timeline that allowed for him to become a villain. He just had to find the man first. And really, he didn't expect it to happen the first night out looking for this guy. He had been stuck on Gamma Squad after all. But the fact it was Gotham gave him some hope.

He, Jaime, and Tim scoured the city for nearly an hour before they found something worthwhile. They had looked in several areas that the Red Hood had been spotted in months ago, when they overheard an interesting conversation between two goons. They gathered from what was said that Red Hood was sending his operation underground. At the very least it confirmed that he did still have ties to the city. Through some careful persuasion on Robin's behalf, they learnt of a location that was being packed up that night. The three of them quickly went to check it out.

A part of Bart felt like he'd struck gold. Another part wasn't sure. Because standing out the front of their target building was the Red Hood himself; his crimson helmet gleamed in the moonlight. Bart went to dash forward, but a hand gripping his arm stopped him.

"What do you think you're doing?" Robin hissed, "you know our orders – we need to contact Aqualad immediately.

"Right. Yeah. Sorry," Bart mumbled while scratching the back of his neck, "don't know what came over me… Sorry."

"Where is your head hermano," Jaime muttered.

Robin began tapping away at his computer, and Bart took a hesitant glance back at the Red Hood. To his surprise, and somewhat horror, the man was heading towards a motorbike beside the building, with his intention appearing to be to leave. Bart swung his head around to see if his team mates had noticed. They had not. He took a millisecond to weigh his options, and chose the one he thought was right, although it would surely get him into all sorts of trouble.

"He's leaving! We need to get in there now," he implored the other two heroes, but only received concerned stares in response; Bart sighed, "I'm sorry."

And with that he ran straight down into the fray; snatched the Red Hood's keys right out of the ignition.

"You're not going anywhere Mr Red Hood," he announced with false bravado, anxiety swirling in his gut.

"Oh yeah," the distorted voice of the Red Hood replied, and Bart was pretty sure the man was looking him up and down as he hopped off the bike, "are _you_ going to stop me? Save it kid. You haven't got a chance."

"I don't need to defeat you. We don't need to fight. I just need to–"

Before Bart could even attempt to convince the Red Hood to change his ways, chaos erupted. Robin and Blue Beetle had finally caught up to him, and were steadily working their way through Red Hood's foot soldiers.

"Oh, I see how it is, the Justice League sent the junior squad after me," Red Hood chuckled, before his voice turned to a growl, "Big mistake."

Quicker than Bart had expected, the man drew his guns from their holsters, and began rapidly firing at the speedster. It was all Bart could do to avoid the apparently random fire. As soon as he saw an opening he mounted his counter-attack, but engaging the Red Hood in close combat didn't go as well as anticipated. His blows were blocked with expertise, and it almost felt like he was doing more dodging than his opponent. One particularly well aimed hit sent him sprawling into the side of the building.

He took the momentary pause in their fight to check on his team mates – they weren't fairing too well either. Apparently the Red Hood was stocking some heavy artillery, and Bart was pretty sure he saw a bazooka of all things. Honestly, it was like these people were _trying_ to bring the Batman down on them as well. Bart was drawn out of his revelry by a well-aimed blow to the face that sent him staggering and almost falling again. He really needed to get his head back in the game.

But every time he ran at the man, his attack was parried perfectly. There were next to no openings, like his opponent had trained with speedsters multiple times before. That sent alarm bells screaming in the back of Bart's mind, but he wasn't sure what it proved. His mind was spinning in circles as their fight raged on.

"I know who you are!" his mind uselessly told him to scream, and the Red Hood didn't even seem fazed.

"I doubt that kid," he replied gruffly, while firing off several more shots, "the world's greatest detectives couldn't–"

"You're a bat," he cut the man off with a whisper; his voice only loud enough for the two of them to hear. The Red Hood visibly stiffened, but continued to attack.

The tone of their fight changed rapidly after that moment. No matter what quips Bart sent his way, the man didn't talk back. Bart had enough sense about him to realise things had gotten dangerous. After one particularly harsh blow, Bart felt his movements begin to grow sluggish – he was running out of energy. Another unexpected blow came from behind, and Bart couldn't quite fathom how the Red Hood had gotten behind him so quickly. He hit the ground with a resounding thwack; black spots danced in his vision. This was so not crash. A hand gripping his hair painfully didn't help either.

"I don't know what you think you know," the voice he now knew to be the Red Hood's spoke darkly in his ear, "but I am no bat."

Bart barely realised that his head had been pulled back before it was being pushed down viciously. When his head met the pavement, darkness followed immediately. He only hoped that Tim and Jaime were faring better

* * *

If Tim had heard Bart's fleeting conscious thoughts, he would have told him that no, they were not doing better. The Red Hood's people were equipped with military grade weapons, and even some that had Blue Beetle's weaponry beat. Tim was already exhausted when he saw the Red Hood walking over to join the fray, an unconscious Bart in his wake. Tim ignored the fear in his gut and charged, lunging with his bo staff, only to find each blow blocked. Tim had to admit that the man was a skilled fighter, but there was an anger behind his moves, one he hoped he could exploit. Unfortunately, a momentary distraction cost him.

"Oops, there goes beetle boy," the Red Hood had jeered, pointing behind Tim.

And he was right, Jaime was on the ground, smoke pouring from his suit. The decision to look for his team mate was Tim's downfall, which he realised a moment too late. His feet were swept out from under him, his staff jerked from his hands, followed by a blow to his head. His vision swimming, Tim tried to regain his feet, only to feel a boot on his back.

"I wonder what this does," Tim heard the distorted voice say a moment before he heard the distinct crackling of his weapon's taser function, "Oh perfect."

The pain barely registered before Tim sank into the darkness of unconsciousness. Although, before he succumbed to it, he could have sworn he heard the Red Hood say something about a disappointing replacement.

* * *

 **A/N**

Next chapter will be called "Do Not Expect to Survive"

Please give me some feedback on those fight scenes! I find them so hard to write, so some constructive criticism would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks to everyone who has reviewed/favourited/followed so far!


	3. Do Not Expect to Survive

**A/N**

Hey, it's been a while. Sorry for the lengthy hiatus, life just plain sucks sometimes, and oh boy did I find that out this year. Take care of your mental health people! And don't be afraid to admit you're struggling.

Anyhoo, onto the story, section in italics is a flashback :)

* * *

 **Chapter 3 – Do Not Expect to Survive**

* * *

In the far reaches of his subconscious mind, Jason was concerned. What on Earth had the League been thinking when the sent an ill-equipped team of three after him? There was no way they could have defeated him and his people. But those thoughts belonged to a part of Jason that he chose to ignore. A kinder, more compassionate part. A part he connected to his days as Robin. He'd rather forget everything to do with those days.

"Now what am I supposed to do with three kids who got in over their heads?" he mused quietly to himself.

On the ground before him lay the aforementioned junior heroes, legs and arms secured with rope, and inhibitor collars sitting snug around their necks – even the replacement. Jason knew perfectly well that Bats would have trained the new kid for these scenarios. It didn't hurt to be overly prepared. Plus, this wasn't the first time Jason had seen the replacement in action. That happened shortly after his first return to Gotham.

* * *

 _It was right before the whole Reach invasion blew up in everyone's face. Jason had returned to Gotham seeking his former mentor, be that for reconciliation or revenge, he wasn't sure. And then he saw_ him _._

 _Flying across the rooftops, dressed in his old colours, was a kid he'd never seen before._

 _He stalked the kid for several minutes, hoping he was wrong, but then he met up with Nightwing. The two of them seemed to share a joke, and laughing, they continued off into the night, unknowingly leaving a stunned Jason in their wake. Blood pounded in his ears; boiling. Bruce had replaced him. Found some other black-haired kid and stuck him in a red and black suit. But what stung the most in that moment was that Dick –_ Jason's brother _– had moved on and forgotten him too._

 _A green haze threatened to overcome Jason's vision, and it took immense will power to keep himself together. He had to be calm, collected, in control. More so than ever if he was going to accomplish anything, because there was no way he was going to let_ him _get away with this._

 _But that didn't exactly go to plan. It wasn't long before Jason realised Batman wasn't around. For that matter, neither was Bruce Wayne – apparently off on some expedition, completely off the grid. Jason knew there was more to it than that, but with no Batman in the picture, all his plans dissipated._

 _He kept to Gotham for a little while after that, establishing small pockets of organised crime all over the city. But before the Bat returned, he ended up branching out; left for another city to expand his business on a whimsical thought of_ what if he doesn't come back _. However, he found success in other cities, which lead him to concoct a new plan._

 _Jason was well aware of who and what The Light was from his days as Robin. And he knew exactly how to get into their back pocket. He also knew how to use them to serve his own personal gain. He was only up to his fourth city when he was approached by Ra's al Ghul of all people. And at first Jason thought he'd been found out, but to his pleasant surprise, the ancient man did not appear to have any clue who was really behind the mask. What gave him away was the clear frustration the man displayed when Jason point blank refused to give up anything about his identity. But deals were struck, and plans were put in motion to his relief._

 _The Bat was back in Gotham by that point, which calmed Jason somewhat. Only his subconscious would be truthful about why that calmness found him. Was it because it meant he could pursue vengeance, or was it because it meant Bruce was alive and safe? Jason would say the former. He'd be lying to himself._

 _At the very least, the appearance of Ra's al Ghul confirmed that Jason's mind was as sharp as ever. If he managed to lure in and manipulate The Light, then his plans for Gotham were surely achievable._

* * *

"Alright you lot," Jason barked at his remaining men. Only one truck was still being loaded, then he could blow this joint – literally, "Load Robin and the fast kid into the truck, make sure they're secure, then head out. I'll be right behind you."

"What about the blue one sir?" One of the men asked.

"That's my business, now clear out!"

Jason watched silently as his men grabbed the two young heroes. He waited until the trucked started up before backhanding the beetle kid across the face to wake him up. The young hero woke with a surprisingly comical start, and a shout that combined with a gasp, so the sound didn't carry. Jason might have laughed if he wasn't busy calculating what he was about to do.

"Wh-what? What's going on?" the kid muttered, seemingly to himself. It took him almost a full minute to get his bearings, looking about the room, assessing who was there with him, his current predicament, before finally the memories seemed to flood back to him, "Where are Robin and Impulse!? What have you done with them?"

"Impulse! So that's who that was," Jason remarked jovially to himself as he paced back and forth before his hostage, "It bothers me how I haven't heard that name before. Mind you, if the news isn't about Gotham, I don't really care. But enough about me. Robin. Impulse. They're around – I'll be catching up with them later, but you have a purpose to serve now."

The kid – Blue Beetle he seemed to recall the name being – visibly gulped. Jason was just a tiny bit proud that he'd managed to strike fear into the kid, be that for himself or his team mates. Regardless, it would hopefully benefit his plans.

"What do you want from me? And what do you want from them?" Blue Beetled yelled with a surprisingly stoic voice, but Jason saw the anxiety in his body language.

"Well I want them for different reasons," Jason replied calmly, "but that doesn't concern you – you're just the messenger boy."

"Like hell it doesn't concern me," the kid growled through gritted teeth.

Jason ignored him, and got right into his face, hoping the soulless eyes of his helmet conveyed just how deadly serious he was about the words that were about to come out of his mouth…

* * *

Wally wasn't panicking. No, no. That would be far too much of an understatement. Wally was right on the verge of losing his freaking mind. He was honestly surprised that he didn't trip right over the edge when they reached the building Gamma Squad's trackers were coming from. A building that was engulfed in flames. They'd heard the explosion a few blocks away, right after they'd run into Alpha squad. Apparently their investigations had lead them to the same conclusion – the Red Hood was in Gotham.

And suddenly the Batman was there. Did he sneak up on them? Was Wally too panicked to notice his arrival? Who would know – Wally sure didn't. Batman was talking in his normal gravelled voice, demanding an explanation for what was happening. Wally had forgotten how much the Bat hated other heroes coming into his city unannounced, and an exploding warehouse was a sure-fire way to gain his attention and wrath. Before any sort of heated argument could begin, M'gann suddenly cried out – there was something moving near the burning building. In the flickering light of the fire, it simply looked like a dark, slowly moving mound, but as the heroes drew closer, the mound grew features. It wasn't a mound at all, but a banged up and barely conscious Blue Beetle. The heroes quickly dragged the young man away from the building, but to their surprise he hadn't been singed by the flames at all. He'd definitely been through a battle, but the fire hadn't touched him.

A coughing fit brought the gathered heroes attention back to the injured Blue Beetle who was almost fully conscious after being moved.

"Stay calm Blue, don't get up," Nightwing calmly spoke to the teenager who had been trying to pick himself up.

"No, you don't understan-ghk" Jaime again tried to move, but the pain in his body clearly told him not to, "He took them, he took Robin and Impulse"

A chill swept through the gathered heroes. Dread turned several faces into scowls, but Wally was pretty sure he was about to have a full-blown nervous breakdown and his face was anything but an emotionless scowl. If anything were to happen to Bart, he didn't know what he'd do.

"He gave me a message," Blue Beetle wheezed from his place on the floor, supported by M'gann, "he said to tell the Justice League that you'd soon learn why you should have never brought children into your fight."

* * *

 **A/N**

Sorry not sorry for the cliff-hanger. Next chapter will be called "He Says He's My What?" and hopefully won't take another 8+ months to come out! I really am truly sorry for the delay.

Anyhoo, in case you were wondering, I'm being vague about how Jason died because I don't want to follow the whole 'Joker ain't dead, how could you not kill him' thing. Also, just to clarify because I know it's kinda obscure cannon, but Jason and Dick had a good relationship before he died in the YJ-verse. One of the show runners confirmed it at some point, but yeah that's the case with this story too, it'll probably come into play later

Please review x


	4. He Says He's My What?

**Chapter 4 – He Says He's My What?**

* * *

 ** _Previously on this disaster fic that hasn't been updated in over a year (sorry)  
_**

 _"No, you don't understan-ghk" Jaime again tried to move, but the pain in his body clearly told him not to, "He took them, he took Robin and Impulse"_

 _A chill swept through the gathered heroes. Dread turned several faces into scowls, but Wally was pretty sure he was about to have a full-blown nervous breakdown and his face was anything but an emotionless scowl. If anything were to happen to Bart, he didn't know what he'd do._

 _"He gave me a message," Blue Beetle wheezed from his place on the floor, supported by M'gann, "He said to tell the Justice League that you'd soon learn why you should have never brought children into your fight."_

* * *

For what might have been a minute, if not more, Wally stopped breathing. Fear had instantly pooled in his stomach at Jaime's words. A thousand thoughts stormed through his mind, all relating to one question: what was going to happen next? Wally knew of the Red Hood whom Bart had known in the old future, but that might as well have been another world. Another universe. It was impossible to say whether the Red Hood they were presently chasing was even the same person – it was just a codename after all. Everything Bart might think he knows could be completely irrelevant this time around. And Bart. Wally had no idea what Bart would do. As his superhero name said – he was impulsive. For all anyone knew it could have been Bart's impulsive nature that had led to his capture. And as far as Wally understood, Bart had considered the future's Red Hood to be family, which would certainly cloud his judgement. It was influencing Wally's decision making, and he'd never even met the man in the future.

Wally was drawn out of his racing mind when Artemis placed her hand on his shoulder; at the very least it reminded him to draw air into his lungs.

"We'll find him," she whispered in his ear, unaware that that was only one of a thousand problems causing Wally grief and anxiety. Regardless, the pair turned their attention back to the very shaken Blue Beetle, and the other gathered heroes.

"Did you notice anything else," Nightwing was asking, "Anything at all. No matter how small, it might give us a clue."

"Did you hear him say anything else," Batman inquired in his gravelled voice. Wally realised that the Dark Knight had moved away from the group, appearing to inspect the burning warehouse from afar. The Bat's silhouette against the fire shaded his brooding with a fearsome anger. Wally knew full well what a Robin in peril could do to the experienced vigilante.

"Actually, y-yeah," Jaime stammered, "I don't think he meant for me to hear it, but the Red Hood was talking to himself, something about past mistakes and he might have said something about forgetting. I don't know if that means anything, or should mean anything…"

As Jaime trailed off, Batman disappeared into the night without so much as a word.

* * *

The remaining heroes regrouped at the Watchtower to afford Jaime the medical attention he required. They needed to debrief after the disaster that mission had been.

Wally felt himself slowly becoming agitated when so very little was being done to find their missing comrades. But at the same time, he knew exactly why they weren't moving –they didn't even know where to start. It was like the Red Hood was suddenly going off script; like his motive had changed. None of their intel matched up to his current movements. Everyone was on edge. And so Wally didn't think he was entirely at fault when he yelled at the assembled heroes before storming off like a toddler.

It wasn't long before Dick found him.

"It's going to be ok Wally," Dick said solemnly, "We'll find them. We'll find Bart, we'll find Tim, we'll bring them home."

"That's not what I-" Wally cut himself off with a huff, not sure what to say, still concerned with secrecy, "I've been worried about what Bart might do. He's been wanting to find the Red hood since I got back, and not just because it's what the team's been doing."

"Why?" Dick's brow creased with a frown, his confusion written plainly across his face, "Why would Bart of all people care about a new villain? Does he want to prove himself? Or–"

"No nothing like that," Wally sighed and ran a hand down his face, before throwing caution to the wind, "In the timeline Bart came from, he knew a man who used the name Red Hood."

"What?" Dick stared at him in bewilderment, "who was he? Did he–"

Wally held up a hand.

"It won't be anything you can think of, because honestly, it doesn't make much sense at all. The basics of it are that he was just another prisoner in the camp where Bart grew up. From what Bart's told me, it sounds like they were pretty close. He never gave Bart his real name before he… died. But that's not even the weird part. This future Red Hood, he said that you and Tim were his brothers."

* * *

Somewhere on the outskirts of Gotham, the present Red Hood (who was in fact one and the same as the future Red Hood if only on a very different path) was plotting his next move. His real game plan was only just starting.

Jason parked his bike outside a decrepit apartment building just as the sun started to creep over the horizon, shining on the windows of the city's skyscrapers. He gave himself a minimum of 24 hours until Batman found him. Up to 48 if he was lucky. Regardless, it was more than enough time to put everything together. He had the element of surprise his identity would bring. He had the _replacement_. He'd left plenty of hints that even old Dickiebird could probably track him down eventually. He was only left with one outlier. One wild card. The kid speedster who knew too much.

The more time that passed since the young hero had called him a bat, the more unnerved Jason became. If the world's greatest detective hadn't figured it out, if the members of the light remained clueless, how _the hell_ did some kid know the truth? What was almost as concerning was how little Jason could find on the kid through his usual channels in the short time since their encounter.

With these thoughts in mind, Jason strode into the hideout where his men had taken the young heroes. Inside a second-floor apartment, the pair had been tied to a set of old chairs; not the smartest idea if the chairs broke, but with the inhibitor collars still snug around their necks, Robin and this Impulse character weren't going anywhere. To Jason's pleasure, they were already awake, meaning it was time for his game to begin. He sent the guards outside needing privacy for what was about to happen. With a sinister grin, he fished a burner phone out of his pocket, watching his hostages intently. He was somewhat surprised that they hadn't said a word since he had entered the room, but no matter. Jason dialled a number, placed the phone to his ear, and after three rings, his pawn picked up.

"Red Hood," the calm, calculating voice of Ra's Al Ghul answered, "Do tell, why exactly am I hearing reports of an explosion in Gotham city, with you supposedly being to blame, when The Light specifically instructed you to stay away in the coming weeks?"

"Ra's! Let a guy explain before biting their head off," Jason exclaimed gleefully, all the while watching the expression on his replacement's face, "You see, I may have encountered a small, junior hero shaped problem."

Silence stretched over the line, but Jason was focused on the boy in front of him, wearing _his_ old colours; bearing _his_ old symbol. It was amusing how clearly you could see the wheel's turning in the kids head as he listened intently to one side of Jason's phone call.

"I do hope you have a better explanation than that," Ra's voice piped up from the phone.

"But of course, old buddy old pal, you see, I ran into a small bit of trouble, and now have acquired for myself Robin and a young speedster who's name I believe to be Impulse." Jason chortled, keeping up the ridiculous act he'd grown used to displaying when interacting with the Demon's Head.

"I see," the ancient man drawled, "that is… quite the predicament."

"Yeah long story, anyway, means I'll be a little busy for a while, so things are going to be delayed indefinitely. Sorry for the trouble"

"That does not matter Red Hood. I will simply take Robin and the other child off your hands, so you might continue the Light's work."

"Ah excellent, I thought you might have been so kind as to take them off my hands. There's no hurry however, I know you're a busy man."

"On the contrary, I already have men in the city, they'll be with you shortly."

"Always a pleasure Ra's"

"The pleasure is all mine."

Jason snapped the phone closed; only slightly concerned by the tone of Ra's voice through their conversation. He knew enough about the man's relationship with Bruce to not shrug that off. Regardless, if everything went according to his plan, it wouldn't end up mattering. Turning to look at his hostages, Jason saw that the replacement was displaying a pathetic attempt at the bat glare – it was ineffective to say the least. The speedster on the other hand was watching Jason with a surprisingly calculating stare.

"Now I don't want you as my guests getting too worried. I have absolutely no intention of handing you over to Ra's," and _that_ go the desired reaction – confusion quickly laced the replacements face, but disappeared as soon as it arrived, "no, no. That guy pisses me off, I'm not doing him any favours. But he's doing me one."

"What do you want from us then?" the replacement bit out through clenched teeth, finally taking the bait and reacting to Jason's calculated taunts.

"Well, my dear replacement Robin," Jason consciously turned his tone dark, "for now, I simply want for you to stay exactly where you are. Soon all the players will fall into place, and finally old man Bruce will get what's coming to him."

Jason watched with contained delight as micro-expressions of shock filtered across the replacements face. There for mere moments before the young boy shifted his expression into a frown.

"What are you talking about?" The kid replied tonelessly to no avail, "Who's Bruce?"

"Drop the act _Timothy_ ," Jason reached forward and grabbed the young Robin by the chin, forcing him to look into the soulless eyes of the red helmet, "I know more than you could possibly imagine. About you. About Bruce. About Dick, Wally, Artemis, and so much more. Which reminds me…"

Jason trailed off and released Tim's jaw. With calculated movements, he turned his attention to the other young hero in the room. He drew himself up to full height in order to loom over the strange kid.

"You see," Jason all but growled, "Timbo here I know plenty about but you, speedy boy, you're a mystery. Popped out of nowhere less than a year ago, and as far as the records show, you're not a member of the extensive West-Allen family tree of speedsters. So, that leaves me with the question of who on Earth are you?"

* * *

Tim could feel the dim surge of panic he was barely holding back grow with each word the Red Hood spoke. The things he knew about the identities of multiple heroes alone made his heart stutter; add to that being tied to a chair, an inhibitor collar around his throat, and no clue where he was besides most probably still being in Gotham, it was definitely only his training that was keeping Tim together. Only when the masked man turned to address his comrade did Tim realise just how uncharacteristically quiet Bart was being. Looking to his face he saw an intense, focussed expression that was rare for the speedster who was staring down the Red Hood like he wasn't in the exact same position as Tim.

"I have a better question" the words exiting Bart's mouth carried none of his usual cheery tone, and those that followed only brought Tim great confusion, "do you still have that white streak in your hair?"

Before the words could properly enter Tim's brain, the Red Hood had surged forward to grab Bart by the throat, and Tim could have sworn the man was emitting an aura of rage that quickly filled the space around them.

"How…" the infuriated villain drew in a deep, shaking breath, his voice taking on a tone that made Tim's fight or flight response kick into overdrive despite his inability to do either at the present time, "How, _the fuck_ , do you know that? Who the hell are you?"

"I'm Impulse, although I was Kid Flash there for a minute, but at the moment just good old Impulse at your service" the recognisable jovial voice was there until terror gradually entered Bart's tone as the hand around his throat flexed and tightened while he rambled, "But really my name's Bart – Bart Allen. I'm from the future.

" _Bart_ ," Tim hissed in warning at the secrets slipping out from the young hero. Didn't the Red Hood already know enough? Bart continued to ramble with barely a glance at Tim.

"Well, a _version_ of the future. One that doesn't exist anymore."

" _Bart_!" Tim tried again to no avail. He started to tug against his restraints. While the Red Hood was solely focussed on Bart, it was his best chance to make a move.

"So yeah, I know a thing or two about you Mr scary Red Hood. For example, your favourite author is Jane Austen, you're allergic to peanuts, your favourite colour is actually blue, so I've never understood the whole _Red_ Hood thing," confidence was slowly seeping back into Bart's voice as he continued to talk (to Tim's frustration – at least he'd nearly gotten one arm free of the rope), "you hate swimming for reasons unknown, you're a Bat but I already told you that, (hey that rhymed!) you really love chilli dogs, and you stole the tyres off the Batmobile."

Tim's head shot up at that comment. He had thought that maybe Bart was just making stuff up to antagonise their captor, but that… that was something only the Batfamily knew. Dick had told Tim when he was still training and had asked about what kind of person Jason was. It was the first time he'd seen any of them smile while talking about his predecessor – the fallen Robin. But in front of him, hand still tight around Bart's throat, stood a man that was terrifying. One that they knew so little about, and it couldn't be true…

"But you're also kind," Bart was still rambling, but the man he was talking to was deathly still, "you care about the little guy, you persevere no matter what life throws at you, you're a hero, you're–"

Bart abruptly stopped talking as the Red Hood suddenly moved, withdrawing his hand from Bart's throat, only to place it on his head instead, harshly gripping his hair. Bart visibly winced but kept staring the Red Hood down. Behind his back, Tim continued to loosen the rope around his wrists having finally gotten one hand free – no matter what Bart had inadvertently revealed, they were still being held captive by a dangerous man and needed to escape. Still watching the Red Hood himself, Tim saw that his stance was one of contemplation – be that what his next move would be, what he was about to say, the words Bart had said or all three at once.

"From the future you say?" The man leaned in to Bart's face, whispering harshly, "That is an interesting claim. Do you know what that means for me? You see, you may think you know me, and you may even know certain details about my life I'd prefer were kept private. _But I don't know you_. And that makes you dangerous – a danger to my carefully laid plans."

The Red Hood swiftly drew his gun from its holster and shoved the barrel under Bart's chin in one fluid motion. Fear was once again present on Bart's face at this violent turn in their predicament, but Tim had finally freed both his hands and decided it was now or never to make his move.

As quickly as the Hood had produced his gun, Tim shot up from the chair he had been bound to and delivered a harsh kick to the man's ribs that didn't exactly send him flying but was enough to get him away from Bart. The shock didn't last long on his opponent who had rapidly regained his composure. Tim drew himself into a fighting stance, preparing for what was to come, but rather than countering the attack, the Red Hood simply reached into his jacket pulling out something small.

Sudden pain flooded Tim's veins as the collar he'd forgotten around his neck flared to life – a stupid mistake that would cost him his only chance. He crashed to the ground, a harsh scream tearing from his mouth at the pain.

"Robin!" he vaguely heard Bart calling, but it barely registered to Tim.

And just as quickly as it began, the pain ceased, and he was left with only a dull ache throughout his body. But that was only a short reprieve as boots appeared in Tim's blurred vision and he was rapidly pulled up by the collar to come face to face with the Red Hood.

"Now why would you think that was a good idea replacement?" the man leered before twisting Tim so his arm was behind his back in a painful grip, "Unfortunately I need you alive for what comes next, but if you plan on surviving that, I'd play nice from here on out."

Tim was pushed towards the door, barely holding himself up with the electricity that had seared through him still leaving an effect on his head. The man – Red Hood – _Jason_ – whoever he was opened the door. The guards from before were still outside and were quickly ordered back into the room.

"Now whatever you do," the Red Hood implored of his men in an exasperated tone, before pointing at Impulse, "don't let him escape. I need him to stay exactly where he is for the time being while I deal with Robin here."

Hood passed a controller that Tim guessed was for Impulse's collar to one of the guards before pulling his other hostage out of the room. Tim knew it was a bad thing for them to be separated but didn't have the energy to do anything about it. His head was still spinning as he was marched down endless hallways before being shoved into another room that was near pitch black from the lack of windows. Considering how far they'd walked, it was surprising they'd never left the building. Shoved to the ground, Tim felt more than saw his hands being locked into handcuffs in front of him. Giving an experimental tug he heard the telling rattle of the cuffs connecting with some sort of pipe.

"Now replacement," a silhouette was all that Tim could make out of the man kneeling in front of him, "I know you're a bit of a detective, take after dear old Bruce and all that, so I have to ask if you've put the pieces together?"

The question hung in the air between them like a dead weight.

"Are you Jason?" Tim finally asked in a harsh whisper.

"Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner."

"But why? How? I don't understand."

"Not yet replacement," Jason patted Tim lightly on the head, "we've gotta wait for _dear old dad_ before we discuss that. You just don't try any more escape attempts and I'll make your stay here as comfortable as possible."

Jason tugged the collar around Tim's throat as a reminder before leaving the room. The door was shut, and the lock audibly clicked into place, leaving Tim along to his racing thoughts. One thought was prominent – he really hoped Bruce got here soon.

* * *

 **A/N**

So yeah, it's been a year. Whoops. I have excuses, they're all kinda boring this time around. Last time's delay was cuz of a nervous breakdown, this time I just had to be an adult with a full-time job and life being busy. Don't grow up, it's a trap.

Anyhoo, for the first time my next chapter does not yet have a title – I'm torn between two and I'll decide which one suits best once it's finished. Also, I'm making zero promises about when the next chapter will come out – sorry. This story's only got about 2 or 3 chapters left and it's all planned out so it will be finished one day. With any luck I'll get to do lots of writing over the Christmas holidays, but we'll see, I didn't last year after all.

Until then, peace out my people! Leave a comment if you enjoyed my trash or feel like yelling at me for being bad at updating :)

xx


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